Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 21

Ying Qujie’s mother passed away before he had even reached his first month of life.

His father disliked him and never once inquired about his well-being.

He was raised single-handedly by his grandmother until the age of six, when he was sent away to recuperate from illness.

Frail in his early years, his grandmother devoted immense care and ingenuity to raising him, personally attending to every detail and exhausting much of her energy.

In his memories, the elderly woman, who always carried the sweet scent of crispy sugar, would slip him a fragrant peanut brittle after he obediently finished his medicine.

If the child threw a tantrum and refused to drink his medicine, she would patiently pat his back and hum little rhymes to coax him into compliance.

“Bitter first, sweet later, blessings follow adversity.”

“Bitter first, sweet later, fortune flows, health grows.”

“Bitter first, sweet later, past the willows, blossoms appear.”

…

For a long time, Ying Qujie thought “bitter first, sweet later” was the name of some oddly titled but benevolent deity who bestowed blessings.

From the depths of his memory, he unearthed this honey-coated recollection.

Years of simmering resentment suddenly seemed trivial.

In his early years at Tianyu Mountain, healing and tempering his body, the suffering was physical. Later, when his grandmother promised to fetch him but failed year after year, until all contact ceased, the suffering turned emotional.

His master forbade him from leaving the mountain. In his early teens, he sneaked out a few times.

But each attempt ended with him trapped in the mountain’s protective maze, only to be dragged back by his master and beaten.

“Noble houses have no shortage of descendants. If you insist on leaving, do you even have the strength to make it to the capital alive? Get back and train!”

Later, he heard from fellow disciples returning from travels that the young master of the Ying General’s household, exceptionally bright by the age of eight, had even been taken to the battlefield.

Only then did Ying Qujie grasp the subtext of his master’s words, and his desire to leave the mountain faded.

This time, when his father sent a letter summoning him back to the capital, Ying Qujie also harbored thoughts of visiting his grandmother.

Whether genuine affection or mere pretense, it didn’t matter.

At the very least, in the first six fragile years of his life, he had been safe and sound, sheltered from harm.

Others might not notice Ying Qujie’s slight hesitation, but He Qingsheng, observing from a third-person perspective, saw it clearly.

“If you want to see her, then go.”

Ying Qujie looked at her.

“Why stare at me? Do what you want.” He Qingsheng gave him a baffled look, swatted his hair into his face, and floated out the door ahead of him. “That brother of yours reeks of evil energy. I need it.”

Ying Qujie instinctively followed her.

Ying Yuanqi and Le Bo exchanged a glance, sensing an opportunity, and hurried after them.

…

The elderly woman on the bed had snow-white hair and rosy cheeks.

Her eyes were closed, as if she were sound asleep.

A matronly woman around fifty sat nearby, meticulously crafting a delicate flower from rice-paper plant pith.

A lifelike peony was nearly complete.

Suddenly, footsteps disrupted the tranquil atmosphere as Le Bo entered first, offering a greeting.

Before he could finish, the sleeping figure on the bed stirred, abruptly sitting upright.

She rubbed her eyes, then burst into tears, loudly demanding to see her little grandson.

Ying Yuanqi, hearing this from outside the door, stepped forward in surprise to steady the old woman.

“Grandmother, were you looking for me?”

The old woman leaned closer to examine Ying Yuanqi’s face, then shook her head. “Whose child are you? You don’t look a thing like my grandson.” She raised her voice, calling for the matron in a reproachful tone, “Mo Zhu, stop trying to fool me. I’m not senile yet, this boy isn’t half as handsome as my grandson!”

The old nanny said with both heartache and helplessness, “Old Madam, I am Su Lan. This is your youngest grandson, Ying Yuanqi, the young General Ying, the son of Madam Su.”

“Oh, oh, oh, I remember now. Ah, yes, I know, Concubine Su.” The old madam patted Ying Yuanqi twice apologetically, “Ying Yuanqi, of course your grandmother remembers you. You’ve grown so tall all of a sudden.”

Ying Yuanqi’s smile stiffened for a moment before he nodded perfunctorily.

“Young General, please don’t take offense. The old madam has been growing increasingly forgetful lately,” the nanny quickly added, noticing Ying Yuanqi’s displeased expression.

“Nonsense! How am I forgetful? I’m perfectly clear-headed.”

The old madam shook her head, her smile innocent and childlike.

In the twilight of her years, she had reverted to being a child. It seemed that aside from not being able to recognize her own grandson, she had no other worries in life.

But not recognizing her own grandson also meant she had lost all other joys.

He Qingsheng turned her head to glance at Ying Qujie, who stood at the doorway, half his expression shrouded in shadow, his mood inscrutable.

Sharing He Qingsheng’s gaze was the old madam, whose eyes were clear and bright.

“Ah! Ningning! You’re back!”

The old madam moved with surprising agility, nothing like a woman in her seventies or eighties. She practically threw herself at Ying Qujie, excitedly waving her hands and chattering nonstop.

She tugged at his hands one moment, pinched his cheeks the next, firing off a rapid series of questions.

Ying Qujie had no time to answer and could only nod repeatedly. Before he knew it, a warm square was pressed into his hand, peanut brittle.

The old madam’s eyes sparkled. “Ningning, eat! Grandmother remembers you love this.”

“Alright, Grandmother.” Ying Qujie’s eyes curved slightly, and for a moment, his smile bore a striking resemblance to the old madam’s.

Seeing this, the old madam became even more like a child who had found her protector. She eagerly took Ying Qujie’s hand and announced loudly to everyone in the room, “I recognized my Ningning at first glance!”

Old Steward Le Bo was moved to tears. Ying Yuanqi looked as though he had a toothache. The nanny, Su Lan, seemed overwhelmed with mixed emotions, neither happy nor unhappy.

Ying Qujie remembered Nanny Su Lan. She had served his grandmother since his childhood, spending far more years with her than he ever had.

Ying Qujie soothed his grandmother and coaxed her into taking a pill.

Within moments, the old madam had fallen asleep.

When she awoke again, her once-clear eyes now carried a gentle warmth tempered by the passage of time.

“Su Lan, how many days has it been since I was last lucid?” The old madam seemed not to notice the young man she was leaning against, extending her hand to Su Lan, signaling for her to come and assist her.

Nanny Su Lan, who had remained cold and distant since Ying Qujie entered the room, burst into tears at the sight.

“Old Madam,” she called out emotionally.

The moment the old madam reopened her eyes, the air around her shifted entirely. Even Ying Yuanqi and Steward Le Bo couldn’t help but marvel.

With just that tiny pill, someone who had lost their wits could be restored to clarity in mere moments.

It was nothing short of miraculous.

A Marrow-Cleansing Pill?

He Qingsheng had noticed the pill Ying Qujie had given her. For a moment, she couldn’t help but question everything she knew about the mortal realm.

In the mortal world, could one just casually produce a Marrow-Cleansing Pill like that?

If so, then the exorbitant prices alchemists had charged in the past were downright shameless.

Were the alchemists of the Twelve Walls just incompetent?

The old madam studied the varied expressions of the people before her, as if only now realizing she was leaning against someone’s shoulder.

She turned her head stiffly and saw a face both familiar and strange.

Familiar because it bore a resemblance to a long-lost loved one. Strange because the person before her was more refined, perfect, and cold.

“Ningning?”

The questioning tone lacked the certainty from earlier, tinged with a choked sob at the end.

Ying Qujie replied gently, “It’s me, Grandmother.”

“Ningning has grown up safe and sound.” The old woman wanted to embrace him but hesitated, eventually settling for a pat on his shoulder.

The two caught up for a while.

The old lady then instructed Su Lan to fetch her personal seal. Su Lan’s eyes, still red from crying earlier, flickered with hesitation as she whispered, “Madam, this isn’t appropriate.”

“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. This is my own grandson. Go on.”

Ying Yuanqi felt somewhat out of place standing there, but he couldn’t leave yet, not with his mother’s illness still unresolved.

Su Lan returned with an exquisitely decorated jewelry box. The old lady unlocked it and took out a jade bracelet of exceptional quality, moving to place it on Ying Qujie’s wrist.

But as she lifted his sleeve, she was stunned by the sight of the red jade bracelet already adorning his wrist. In all her years of encountering rare treasures, she had never seen such a strikingly translucent and unique piece of red jade.

“Oh, Ningning, the one I gave you still looks better, doesn’t it?”

He Qingsheng leaned close to his ear, calling him “Ningning, Ningning” in a tone devoid of emotion, filled only with teasing.

Ying Qujie subtly pushed the burning-hot red jade bracelet further up his wrist and shot her a silent look that said, Don’t mess around.

From Su Lan’s reaction, he could tell this bracelet was of extraordinary value, a perfect excuse to decline.

Su Lan also protested indignantly, “Madam, after all these years of sending letters without a single reply, how can you just hand over something so important so easily?”

Her words were clearly meant for Ying Qujie, spoken without lowering her voice.

Yet the old lady merely smiled dismissively and smoothly redirected, “Since Ningning already has a treasure, I suppose this one will have to wait for my future granddaughter-in-law.”

“Take it. It’s not for you, it’s for your future wife.”

“Madam!” Su Lan fretted.

“What did you mean, Su Lan, about the letters going unanswered?” Ying Qujie’s attention was no longer on the bracelet as the old woman shoved it into his arms.

“Madam sent letters year after year, for every major and minor occasion, countless letters! How could you, young master, not reply even once all these years? Did you think that just because you had the backing of a divine physician, you could disregard Madam’s six years of tireless care?”

Su Lan had always been impulsive in her youth, and in old age, she saw no reason to hold back. Fortunately, she had served under a kind mistress like the old lady, allowing her to speak her mind freely all her life.

Now, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, she poured out her grievances in a torrent.

Ying Qujie fell silent.

“I only received Grandmother’s letter in the first year.”

“What?” Su Lan was incredulous. “Impossible! Madam sent letters almost every month, unless she was ill.”

Her voice trailed off as the old lady’s expression darkened.

Both women had experienced the intrigues of the inner household, they had the wisdom to read between the lines.

In an instant, they pieced together the truth.

A simple trick, yet due to various reasons, big and small, it had led to years of misunderstanding.

Ying Qujie was infinitely grateful he had returned, that his grandmother wouldn’t have to spend her remaining years in confusion and regret.

“Su Lan, summon Mo Zhu back. The two of you will investigate this together.”

Having managed the household for many years, the old madam carried an air of solemn authority when handling serious matters.

After giving all necessary orders, her sharp eyes turned to Ying Yuanqi.

“Yuanqi, come here.”

Yuanqi had always been somewhat intimidated by his decisive grandmother. Coupled with the recent confusion over the funeral rites, being singled out now made him shrink like a quail.

“What was the mourning music in the residence about the other day?”

“Grandmother, it was… it was because Father and Mother suddenly fell critically ill and lost consciousness…”

The old madam looked as though she might faint on the spot, and Ying Qujie quickly steadied her by the arm.

“You fool! Your parents were merely unconscious, and you already held a funeral for them?”

“No, Grandmother, no!” Yuanqi stammered, scrambling for words.

Seeing his grandmother on the verge of collapse from anger, Yuanqi decided to spill everything he knew in one breath.

“A few days ago, Father said Eldest Brother had died, so Mother followed his wishes and arranged the funeral rites for him.”

“Then how is your elder brother appearing in the residence now?” The old madam pressed her fingers to her temple, her quiet fury unmistakable.

Yuanqi answered truthfully, “Eldest Brother studied under a renowned physician and has gained fame in the capital. I originally intended to invite him to examine Father’s illness.”

“Hmph!” The old madam let out a cold laugh.